He thought he was losing his mom to a coma. Then he played a song about her dad — and she started tapping

Losing someone close is an incredibly painful experience that leaves a void in our lives forever. However, what's even more heartbreaking is watching someone you love slip into a coma, stuck between life and death. Perhaps only a few can understand this profound agony, like Kole (@_kolelarsen), whose mother lies silently in a coma. In an emotional video shared by him on TikTok, Kole captured how his beloved mother responded to him singing a song he had written about her father, despite being in a state of unconsciousness.

In the video, Kole could be seen holding his mother's hand while sitting near her hospital bed and humming a beautiful song called "More Than You Ghost" that he had written about his late grandfather. His mother, despite her physical state, began tapping along, proving that she could still hear him, even when she wasn't fully conscious. 

Unlike most coma patients who show no physical response, Kole's mother was among the very few who could still express herself in subtle and visible ways. An interesting report by the Columbia University Irving Medical Center claims some brain injury patients who appear to be in a coma might not always be in one. While they are processing what is happening around them, they might not physically respond to it. Research suggests that the ratio of this occurrence is 1 in 4, which is almost 25% of coma patients, may actually be awake.

Kole's emotional video received an overwhelming response on social media, with several people sharing similar stories. For example, @jaileneayala5 revealed, "When I was in a coma, I heard everything. I was aware, but couldn’t move or do anything." @lyndajanemonks commented, "After having a loved one in a coma for a while, the first thing they say to you is they can hear you. I sang, read, and talked, and when they reacted, it was wonderful." @deb4man shared, "My son was sedated after a bad wreck. I never stopped talking to him. He passed after 2 days, but I like to think he heard me." 

On the other hand, @kturner_1988 said, "I really think music is the way to a person's soul sometimes, because I knew someone who got a head injury. She was only 14, and it was my friend's sister, so I had the idea to play the song 'Umbrella' by Rihanna, and she didn’t even know how to tie her own shoes or talk at that point. When I played that song, she sang Ella Ella ey ey ey. And a week later, she started getting better and fully recovered. I don't know if that's why, but I’m pretty sure it triggered something."

@drjeff2023 wrote, "That would mean mommy is not in a coma and mommy is listening to you sing, and that brings tears to my eyes." @moebettabutter123 shared, "When my brother was in a coma, decades ago, we played Barry Manilow songs. He had CP. Complications from the surgery left him in a coma. Music brought him back. Eventually, he met him." 

You can follow Kole (@_kolelarsen) on TikTok for more such family-related content.